Well apparatus



July 24, 1928. 1,678,074

J. T. PHIPPS WELL APPARATUS Filed Oct. 26, 1925 INVENTOR,

I H w ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 24, 1928.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I .TQHN '1. ZPHIPPS, OF HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHNGRANT, OF

' LOSANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

' WELL :AIfPA-BATUS. I

Application filed October as "are used for enlarging well holes topermit the lowering" of the casing, bothin socalled standard andso-called rotary methods of drilling. The invention is somewhat relatedto the subject-matter of a further application for Letters Patent filedby me on the th day of October, 1925, for well ap: paratus, Serial No.61,808; and certain of the objects of both inventions are identical orsimilar.

The invention has for its object the provision of an underreamer whichwill be generally superior in point of relative simplicity andinexpensiveness of construction,

taken together with durability positiveness and effectiveness andreliability in action and operation, freedom from liability to fail inoperation, or get out of order,- and in which the bit or cutter elementsare effective- 1y retained in assemblage with the other fea+ turesagainst loss in the well hole, which losses frequently result inseriously impairing drilling operations and often result in necessitatedabandonment ,of well holes.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel and useful provision, formatiomcombination, association andrelative arrangement of parts,

members andfeaturesall as hereinafter de-' scribed, shown in thedrawing, and finally pointed out in claims. r

In the drawing: ,7 y Figure 1 is 'a longitudinal central, sectionalview, partly fragmentary and partly in elevation, of an under-reamerconstructed to embody the invention in one form, the cutters or bitsbeing in expanded condition within casing; r

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, the cutters or bits being incollapsed condition;

Figure 3 is a detail enlarged'transverse sectional view, taken u on theline 33,

Fig. 1, and looking in t e direction of the appended arrows; g

- Figure 4 is a detail enlarged transverse sectional view taken upon theline H, Figure 2, and looking in'the direction of the appended arrows;and, V

Figure 5.is an enlarged detail face view of "one of the bits or cuttersshown in the other figures, the same being in detached position.Corresponding parts .in all the figures are designated by the samereference characters.

2c, 1925. Serial mi. 64,239.

constructedto embody the invention, the

same-being provided at its upper end'with a tapered threaded pin 6cooperating with a correspondingly" threaded socket 7 formed;

at the-lower end of a sub 8, by which latter, through a similarlytapered upper terminal threaded pin 9, the underreamer is connected witha strin of tools or with pipe or tubing, in the un erreaming operation."

A fiuidcircu'lation passage 10is provided through the sub 8andtheu'pp'er portion of the body A, and the same communicates at itslower end with a stationary mandrel vmember 11 which hasa slip jointtapered connection within an, upper mandrel member. 12, within thecirculation passage 10. This upper mandrel member 12 may be formedintegrally with or be part of the body member A. 13 indicates the boreof the bodyfmember A beneath the fixed mandrel member 12. Within suchbore is installed a coiled compression spring' j14 bearing at its lowerend upon an externally threaded collar 15 secured in the lower end ofthe body A. above the threaded tapered socket 16, which latter mayreceive a threaded tapered pin upon a bit for boring, so that boring andreaming operations may be simultaneou'sly carried on. The lower end ofthe detachable mandrel portion 11 is threaded into this collar 15-, asat 17 Slidably propeller comprising a collar 18 having a plurality oflateral wings or lugs 19, one for each of a plurality of cutters B, ofwhich three are shown in'the drawing, said cutters being adapted tocollapse or expand longitudinally of the body member and cooperatingwith the mandrel member 12 when expanded, and being urged into expandedcondition by the collar 18 and the spring beneath it. -Each ofthesecutters is mounted in connection with the body A in alateral slot 20formed in the body member A. and extending downwardly from the pin 6having the threads. 6, to a downwardly and outwardly" inclined shoulder21,- such slots likewise accommodatin the longitudinal movement of thepropel er. These slots re milled out of the material of the body A, andare enlarged inwardly of longitudinal shoulders 22, extending downwardlyfrom the upper end portions of the slots to and terminating indownwardly and inwardly inclined shoulders 23, the purpose of which willbe further particularized. An annular collar 24 is interposed betweenthe top of the body A and the sub 8, confining the cutters wheninstalled in the slots 20, and the cutters are provided with lateralflanges 25, extending lengthwise thereof, and cooperating with theshoulders 22, which shoulders 22 constitute ways for the flanges 25 inthe collapsing and expanding travels of the cutters. The flanges 25 .areextended downwardly beyond the tapered lower cutting edge portion 26 ofthe cutters, and rounded off, as at 25 to cooperate with the inclinedshoulder 23 and producecollapsing action of the cutters when they arelowered. Normally these lower cutter end portions 25 rest respectivelyupon the lugs 19 which are tapered outwardly, to provide upperclownwardly and outwardly inclined and lower upwardly and outwardlyinclined faces. 28 designates a downwardly and outwardly inclined portor passage formed in the mandrel portion 12 of the body A andcommunicating at its upper end with the circulation passage 10, andwhereby circulation or branch circulation may be established exteriorlyof the body A, supplementing the circulation downwardly through thetubular'mandrel portion 11.

In the operation and use of the mechanism, the device is entered intothe well casing to be lowered after the cutters have been moveddownwardly into the collapsed condition shown in Fig. 2, against thecompression of the spring 14, and when the cutters in this conditionhave been entered into the casing, indicated at C, in Fig. 2, they areslightly tilted inwardly, with their lower edge portions 25" restingupon the collar 18 just inwardly of the lugs 19. In this position theupper ends of the cutters bear upwardly against inclined surfaces 27With the parts in this position, the lugs 19 are received within thelower portions of the slots 20, and the collar 18 is chambered in thebore 13 beneath the inclined shoulder 23. The tool may now be loweredthrough the casing; and when the cutters pass beneath the shoe at thelower end of the casing, the

spring l lurges the cutters upwardly and outwardly into the expandedcondition shown in Fig. 1, the rounded end portions 25 moving downwardlyand outwardly over the inclined upper faces of the lugs 19, or inactuality the reverse, the collar moving up wardly slightly faster thanthe cutters; and the cutters at their upper edge portions passoverupwardly and outwardly inclined shoulders 27 formed on the lowerportion of the fixed mandrel portion 12, and said cutters are finallythus urged outwardly and upwardly so that the ,flanges 25 engage withthe upthrust by the collar 24, and outthrust by the shoulders 22. Theunderreamer is then rotated or reciprocated, in accordance with thepractice followed,,chipping away the formation beneath, and permittingthe low-v ering of the casing. When it is desired to withdraw the toolfrom the hole, it is raised to bring the curved upper and outer edges orcorners 25? of the cutters against the shoe at the lower end of thecasing, and the cuts ters are thus temporarily held against elevationwhile the rest of the tool rises, the cutters moving downwardly and thenmoving inwardly beneath the shoulders 27, and the lower end portions 25thereof riding over the shoulders 23 of the body A, and the lugs 19.restoring the cutters to the collapsed condition shown in Fig. 2, wherethey are held by the restricting casing through which the entireunderreamer, cutters included, is then elevated and withdrawn. The lowerand outer sharp cutting edges or corners of the cutters are retainedfrom digging into the casing when the underreamer is lowered, by

the slightly tilted condition of the cutters assumed when they arecollapsed.

The entire tool is positive and effective in operation, the cutters areclosely confined, and same cannot be lost from the body, and the cuttersare not attached to any moving part, and a complete and efiectivecirculation is maintained through the circulation passage 10 and thetubular removable mandrel portion 11.

It is obvious that various modifications, substitutions and departuresmay be made from the disclosure of the drawing, in practicing theinvention, in departing from the specific disclosure of the drawing andthe foregoing description, without departing from the true spirit of theinvention.

Having thus disclosed my invention, 'I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. In a device of the character disclosed, a body provided with an uppermandrel portion integral therewith, the body being slotted adjacent theupper mandrel portion, a cutter mountedin the body slot for longitudinalmovement, the body having a bore below the mandrel portion, a lowermandrel portion in said bore, and a cutter propeller and spring in saidbody bore, the, propeller and spring surrounding and sliding on thelower mandrel portion. 2. In a device of the character disclosed,

a body provided with an upper m-andrelportudinal movement, the bodyhaving a bore below the mandrel portion and said bore leading outthrough the lower end of the ill bod a lower mandrel portion in saidbore,

mounted at its lower end in the body and removable downwardly throughsaid bore, and a cutter propeller and spring in said bore, the propellersurrounding and sliding on the lower mandrel portion.

In a device of the character disclosed, a body provided with an uppermandrel portion integral therewith, the body being slotted adjacent theupper mandrel portion, a cutter mounted in the body slot forlongitudinal movement, the body having a bore below the mandrel portionending at the lower end of the body in a socket to take a drill bit, alower mandrel portion in said bore, and a. cutter propeller and springin said bore, the propeller surrounding and sliding on the lower mandrelportion, and a vertical water course extending through the two mandrelportions.

4. In a device of the character disclosed, a

body provided with an upper mandrel portion integral therewith, the bodybeing slotted adjacent the upper mandrel portion a cutter mounted in thebody slot for longitudinal movement, the body having a bore below themandrel portion ending at the lower end of the body in a socket to takea drill bit, the upper mandrel portion having a vertical Water coursethrough it, a tubular lower mandrel portion removably mounted at itslower end in the lower part of the body bore and extending upwardlythrough that bore and its upper end entering the water course in theupper mandrel portion, a cutter propeller surrounding and slidable onthe lower mandrel portion, and a propeller actuating spring alsosurrounding said lower mandrel portion below the propeller.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN T. PHIPPS.

